Northern Lights dazzle skies across eastern US amid 'severe' solar storm

Yet another severe solar storm is heading Earth’s way this week as the sun continues its peak activity in it’s current solar cycle.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch for Thursday and Friday of this week after a massive outburst from the sun was detected earlier this week. The northern lights were already visible on Thursday night in areas much further south than they normally are. Pink, purple and green auroras were witnessed across the eastern United States from Maine all the way to Washington D.C.

Scientifically known as Coronal Mass Ejections, geomagnetic storms are caused by plasma being expelled from the sun’s corona that interact with Earth’s magnetic fields causing the auroras. They also can pose threats to modern technology such as causing satellites malfunctions, power grid disruptions and radio signal interference. There is no threat to humans health as our atmosphere and magnetic fields protect us from the solar activity.

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NOAA has notified operators of power plants and orbiting spacecraft to take precautions. It also alerted the Federal Emergency Management Agency about possible power disruptions, as the organization copes with the devastating aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Power grids in Florida are already strained as officials work to restore power to more than 3 million homes and businesses, according to local officials.

NOAA said this storm will not likely surpass the one that slammed into Earth in May which was the strongest in two decades. Forecasters will not know for sure until the storm is about 1 million miles away from Earth, where spacecrafts can measure it.

Florida sits far enough south that the storm will not likely cause any power disturbances unless the storm gets a lot bigger, according to scientist Rob Steenburgh of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

“That adds a little bit more to the comfort level,” Steenburgh said. “Why we’re here is to let them know so that they can prepare.”

Experts are more concerned about potential effects to the power grids in areas slammed by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, said NOAA space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl.

The storm will make the northern lights visible as far south as Northern California and the lower Midwest, although exact locations and times are uncertain, according to NOAA.

Stargazers hoping to catch a glimpse of the lights are encouraged to point their phone camera to the sky as the camera can pick up auroras better than the human eye can.

May’s solar storm produced dazzling auroras across the Northern Hemisphere and resulted in no major disruptions.

The sun is currently at its peak of solar activity in its current 11 year cycle causing more geomagnetic storms to hit Earth.

This is the second major solar storm in as many weeks. Solar flares are the largest explosive events in the solar system. X is the largest class of solar flare, which can trigger radio blackouts across the globe and widespread damage to satellites, spacecraft and power grids